Google Photos Settlement
A lawsuit was filed against lawsuit against Google, claiming that the company is actively collecting, storing, and using the biometrics of millions of unwitting individuals whose faces appear in photographs uploaded to Google Photos in Illinois.
The Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act, 740 ILCS 14/1, et seq. (“BIPA”), prohibits private companies from collecting or obtaining a person’s biometric identifiers and/or biometric information, such as a scan of face geometry, without first providing such individual with certain written disclosures and obtaining written consent. BIPA also requires that private companies that possess biometrics develop a publicly available retention schedule.
The Plaintiffs claim that Google violated BIPA by obtaining, collecting, and storing, without adequate prior notice and consent, Illinois residents’ biometrics, which Google allegedly used to group photographs of similar faces that have been uploaded by the same Google Photos user, a feature called Face Grouping. Google denies all claims made in the action and any wrongdoing whatsoever, including that it collected or stored biometrics without proper notice and consent, and that it violated Illinois law or any other law. By entering into the Settlement, Google is not admitting that it did anything wrong.
Those who are class members, can now file a claim and get a rebate of $200 to $400. Check out more details below.
Who’s Eligible?
You are a Class Member in this Settlement if, at any time between May 1, 2015 and April 25, 2022, you appeared in a photograph in Google Photos while you were an Illinois resident.
The Settlement does not include: (1) any Judge, Magistrate, or mediator presiding over this Action and Related Actions and members of their families, (2) Defendant, Defendant’s subsidiaries, parent companies, successors, predecessors, and any entity in which Defendant or its parents have a controlling interest, (3) Class Counsel, and (4) the legal representatives, successors or assigns of any such excluded persons.
Related: See All Settlement Rebates Here
Settlement Payout
The Settlement provides monetary payments to Class Members who submit a valid Claim Form on or before September 24, 2022.
If the Court approves the Settlement, Google will pay One Hundred Million Dollars ($100,000,000) to create a Settlement Fund. The money remaining in the Settlement Fund after (i) adding accrued interest and (ii) paying settlement administration and notice costs, any taxes owed as a result of interest accrued on the Settlement Fund, the award of attorneys’ fees and expenses to Class Counsel by the Court (“Fee and Expense Award”), and any Service Payments to the Class Representatives ordered by the Court, is called the “Net Settlement Fund.” The Net Settlement Fund will be distributed to Class Members who submit a valid Claim Form on or before September 24, 2022.
If you are a member of the Class, you may submit a Claim Form to receive a pro rata portion of the Net Settlement Fund. The amount paid to each Class Member who submits a valid Claim, will depend on the total number of valid claims submitted. No one knows in advance how much each valid claim payment will be until the deadline for submitting claims passes and the Court awards the Fee and Expense Award and Service Payments. Each Class Member who submits a valid claim will receive an equal proportionate share of the Net Settlement Fund.
Class Counsel estimate, based on their experience in prior similar matters, that the amount of each valid claim will be between approximately $200.00 and $400.00; however, the actual cash amount an individual will receive could be less than or greater than that estimated amount.
Related: Read all news about lawsuits and settlements
Google Photos Settlement Details
- File claim here
- Rebate: Up to $400
- Proof Required: N/A
- Settlement Pool: $100,000,000
- Filing Deadline: September 24, 2022
- Read Settlement Details Here
